Allison Park Church

Yesterday we worshiped at Allison Park Church, 2326 Duncan Avenue, Allison Park, PA 15101, 412.747.7220, www.allisonparkchurch.com, Pastor Jeff Leake.

Scripture – 1 Peter 2:21-24

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.

He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered.

He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.

He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right.

By his wounds you are healed.

Bob’s thoughts:

I was pleasantly surprised that in a larger church with loud music and flashing lights, there was a great cross, something missing from similar churches. The cross was such a welcome focus that none of the rest mattered. You don’t need a cross to worship Jesus, but the lack of one makes it seem like you are trying to forget that part.

I saw nothing about missional activity of the church but remembered that there was a good amount of mission going on. Mission can be lost when a church focuses on its members and their growth; I was pleased to learn that’s not the case here.

The congregation was asked to fill out an attendance questionnaire and the lights were immediately turned way down; it’s a good thing cell phones have lights.

The sermon was part four of a series. “Jesus Suffering and My Suffering” started with the premise that nothing connects us more quickly than shared pain. We lose sight of the fact that God understands our pain because Christ experienced pain here on earth.

When I was scheduled for heart bypass surgery, I knew that the power of Christ to heal me was there for me, but He didn’t want me to use it. The whole process was like watching a play, and I had completely entrusted my health to Christ. Was quite some time later I realized they stopped my heart to perform this surgery and the potential that I might not survive was real. A few months later God led me to witness to a friend who was having a heart valve replaced. My surgeon and medical staff were confident and capable, but my trust was foremost in Christ Jesus.

Following the service we got to watch some of the well organized and imaginative Easter egg hunt.

Jan’s thoughts:

It has been five years to the week since our last visit to this church, and we returned this week at the invitation of a different friend.

This is a huge, modern facility and I was pleased it had the signage necessary to figure out where we were headed.

On our way in we were greeted by several people with an enthusiastic handshake and by additional folks as we found our way to the worship area. As we made our way through the concourse we couldn’t help but notice it was set up for the largest Easter Egg Hunt in Pittsburgh, which obviously took much organization and effort to bring to fruition.

The music was passionately performed, the volume was fine for me, and the words on the screens were easy to read.

I’m sure Bob will comment on the cross, but I, too, appreciated its beauty: it was large and backlit, which made it stand out all the more in the dark worship area.

The message was kicked off with a video about Owen, a 7-year-old from the UK, who lives with a very rare disease, and how he came to be friends with a 3-legged Great Dane named Haatchi. It’s a heartwarming story of how two souls found each other and help each other get through life despite their individual strengths and limitations. CLICK HERE to watch the 9-minute video.

The message, “Jesus’ Suffering and My Suffering,” was part four of a series with the major point “Nothing connects us as quickly as shared pain.” Whenever we encounter someone who has struggled as we have/are, there is an instant rapport, but for some reason we still wonder if God cares about our pain. Reminders included:

1 – When I look at Jesus, I know that God understands.

2 – When I look at Jesus, I see an example as to how to respond in the midst of my pain.

3 – When I look at Jesus, I see healing for my soul.

Displayed on the screens were the Scriptures detailing Jesus’ response to His treatment and how we can choose to behave based on His example:

1 – Refuse selfishness

2 – Refuse manipulation

3 – Refuse resentment

4 – Refuse revenge

5 – Entrust our lives to God

He equated entrusting our lives to God with entrusting our well-being to the surgeon when we go under the knife. Having done exactly that recently, the words that come to mind include dependence, relaxed confidence, and faith.

What I couldn’t help but think had to do with the title: “Jesus’ Suffering and My Suffering.” If indeed “nothing connects us as quickly as shared pain,” what does that say about Jesus’ suffering and His reasons for allowing our suffering? We may suffer silently for a time, but sooner or later we often voice our displeasure about whatever it is we are going through, and often we ask “Why?” as if we might actually understand if God were to condescend to answer our question.

In fact, we are asked to suffer in many of the same ways Christ suffered: betrayal, loss, mistreatment, and Scripture assures us that He is glorified in our trusting Him in the midst of our suffering.

If we can grasp the bond between a child and a dog and their mutual understanding of each other’s impairment and suffering, is it really so difficult to believe that in some mysterious way our suffering brings us closer to Christ?

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray this church will continue to put all its faith in You. Amen.